Ji Zongyou tilted his head back, struggling with all his might.
However, Qing Zhu's grip on his arm was like iron pincers, allowing him no room to move.
Furious, Ji Zongyou looked at the woman before him and unleashed a torrent of abuse. "It's your good fortune that I'm interested in you! Stop playing coy with me. If you're smart, you'll let me go. I'll pretend nothing happened. Otherwise, I'll find someone to exterminate your entire clan! Have you heard of Ji Zizhao? She's my own sister! And now she's even a Princess Ronghe, bestowed by the Emperor himself!"
The surrounding diners, upon hearing this, shrunk back towards the entrance, too afraid to move.
The eldest daughter of the Ji family was now quite the sensation in the imperial city.
She had not only pulled the Second Prince off his horse in front of the imperial palace but had also sought justice for the Ji family.
And who could easily obtain justice from royalty?
Yet, the eldest daughter of the Ji family dared to do so.
Not only that, but she had also been bestowed the title of Princess Ronghe by the Emperor.
"Miss, you should quickly kowtow to the young marquis of the Ji family and apologize," one diner urged.
"Yes, that Princess Ronghe is not to be trifled with..."
The diners, fearing they might be caught in the crossfire, all spoke up to advise her.
They had certainly never dealt with the eldest daughter of the Ji family before, but seeing the current state of the young marquis of the Ji family, how could the eldest daughter be any better?
Moreover, when the eldest daughter of the Ji family used to stay indoors, they had often gossiped about her being useless. If she were to be angered by this incident and hold them accountable for their past discussions, how would they bear it?
If it were anyone else, facing such a situation, they would likely have retreated by now.
After all, if the brother was like this, how could the sister be any different?
But the beautiful woman standing here now remained unfazed, composed and at ease.
This was because she was Ji Zizhao.
Looking at Ji Zongyou, who was being suppressed by Qing Zhu, Ji Zizhao's dark eyes were filled with icy killing intent.
From beginning to end, Ji Zongyou had always spouted threats of exterminating clans and beheadings. These were powers only the current Emperor possessed, yet they had become this beast's common phrases!
Ji Zizhao had always known Ji Zongyou was scum.
But after witnessing it firsthand, she realized he was even worse than she had imagined.
Seeing Ji Zizhao's silence, Ji Zongyou let out a triumphant laugh. "Bitch! Scared now? If you're scared, then quickly release the young marquis! If you serve me well, I might be willing to forget about this incident!"
Inside his mother's coffin, the frontal bone was clearly shattered.
It was evident that someone had grabbed her hair with great force and repeatedly bashed her head against something.
Zhang Ji had also mentioned that outside the Jin family's residence that day, he had heard a man's angry curses.
Looking at the lawless Ji Zongyou before her, Ji Zizhao now understood the cause of her mother's death.
A bastard son who had just returned to the Ji family, lacking manners, respect, and humility...
He was indeed the only male heir of the Ji family now.
But he was also an unforeseeable disaster for the Ji family.
Her mother's revenge must be taken, but before that, this degenerate fellow had other uses.
Ji Zizhao absolutely would not allow such a worse-than-swine-and-dog creature to drag down the entire Ji family!
"Qing Zhu, drag him out and beat him soundly!" Ji Zizhao's voice turned as cold as ice.
Upon hearing this, Qing Zhu dragged Ji Zongyou out.
Ji Zongyou struggled like a madman, glaring at Ji Zizhao and spewing vulgarities. "Beat me? By what right do you, you stinking slut, dare to beat me? My status is not something you can compare to! Shameless stinking slut, you just wait! I will surely make Princess Ronghe repay you double for today's grievance!"
Qing Zhu could no longer stand Ji Zongyou's foul mouth and slapped him across the face. "Watch your tongue! How dare you insult and slander Princess Ronghe?"
The previously raging Ji Zongyou froze violently.
He then looked at Ji Zizhao before him, feeling a dizzying sensation.
Princess Ronghe...
She was Ji Zizhao?!
The diners in the restaurant were also astounded by this revelation.
They had heard news of Princess Ronghe's return to the imperial city, but wasn't it said she was at the Ji family ancestral graves?
And looking at the revealing attire of the woman nearby, it was indeed hard to associate her with Princess Ronghe!
Ji Zizhao looked at Ji Zongyou, whose eyes were wide with shock, her killing intent flaring up. Her words were even more chilling. "As a member of the Ji family, you must uphold our family rules and traditions. A Ji family son should study military strategy at three, which you cannot do. He should join the army at five, which you also cannot do. Having the welfare of the people in your heart and protecting the country are far beyond your reach. Now, in broad daylight, you harass virtuous women. If your crooked bones are not straightened, how can we face our Ji family ancestors!"
Such arrogance and extraordinary bearing were not something everyone possessed.
It was at this moment that everyone finally believed that the woman standing before them was indeed Princess Ronghe!
Ji Zongyou was flustered, but not foolish. Although he never imagined his first meeting with Ji Zizhao would be under such circumstances, if she were truly a virtuous woman, why would she be dressed like this and appear in the pleasure district?
It was clear that she had deliberately sought trouble to beat him up!
"You did this on purpose, on purpose... Ji Zizhao, you are so cruel!" Ji Zongyou gnashed his teeth in hatred.
Ji Zizhao, lifting her skirt, took a few steps forward and bent down slightly to look at Ji Zongyou.
Her exquisite features still shone brilliantly, and the killing intent radiating from her was palpable.
Her red lips moved, and she spoke each word distinctly. "I came here specifically to beat you."
Ji Zongyou trembled all over, his heart pounding wildly.
Ji Zizhao straightened up and said to Qing Zhu, "Drag him out and break his legs to enforce our Ji family's rules!"
Without a word, Qing Zhu dragged Ji Zongyou out of the restaurant.
Soon, everyone on the entire pleasure street heard that Princess Ronghe had returned.
By the time Qing Zhu dragged Ji Zongyou out of the restaurant, the street was already crowded with onlookers.
Ji Zongyou was truly panicked this time, looking at Ji Zizhao and begging for mercy. "Elder sister, I truly know I was wrong. Please forgive me this once, I promise there will be no next time!"
Ji Zizhao remained expressionless. "Beat him!"
Gu Peilan's sole intention was to enter the Ji family, relying on this only son.
And Grandmother's indulgence of Gu Peilan entering the family was also for the continuation of the Ji family line, wasn't it?
Since that was the case, she had broken all their hopes and wishes.
Of course, Ji Zizhao would not truly kill Ji Zongyou. She wanted him to live on, crippled and dragging out his existence, and she wanted him to continuously torment Gu Peilan and give her no peace.
Not everyone deserved the retribution of paying for a life with a life.
Rather, it was a blood debt that must be paid, making those who had stained her mother's blood suffer a fate worse than death – this was the best revenge.